Jump to content
Customer Service 866.965.0400

Odds and Ends

Authorized Dealer
  • Posts

    637
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About Odds and Ends

  • Birthday 10/13/1965

Profile Information

  • Location
    Sterling, VA
  • Gender
    Male

Converted

  • Occupation
    Business Owner, Electronics Geek and Pretty Darned Good Detailer
  • Vehicle Make
    Porsche
  • Vehicle Model
    Lots of 'em
  • Real Name
    Darryl

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

  1. Most dealers do local clinics. I sponsor lots of clubs and host anywhere from 6 to 15 or so demos throughout the year for the various clubs. I'm also happy to do a clinic and demos for anybody who wants to organize a group of say 10 or more people although that has only happened one time. Having a retail showroom, I can sell you what I just showed you, you take it home and use it that same day. Back to the point if this thread, I recall a few years back, there was some talk about "authorized" training and classes but I don't think it ever grew legs.
  2. Chances are, they are etched into the clear and will require quite a bit of polishing and/or other measures to get the surface as smooth as possible. I see this on middle aged (C4. C5, C6) Corvettes all the time. If it's bad, make it as best as you can as it will probably never be perfect again. It's mostly due to age, neglect, and lack of protection. Does it look similar to this C5? Here are some pics of one I encountered last year:
  3. While I agree with what has already been said and cautioned about, if APC and/or Tire & Rubber cleaner hasn't taken it off, then there is a good possibility it isn't wax. Those two methods almost always work for me and I've seen some pretty bad examples roll through my shop. The best way to attack something like this is to know what it is in the first place. Many chemicals can affect/destroy ABS plastic, so proceed with caution. A toothbrush or nail brush does wonders when used with the aforementioned cleaners....lots more effective than a towel. I'll use an old wash cloth if I need more "bite" than a microfiber towel provides.
  4. If you keep the car indoors overnight, you can sneak a wash in with temps around 28 or 29, but not much less. You can't waste much time, but it can be done and I do it all the time. Layer up the clothes and as previously mentioned, scuba gloves work great. Probably the best 30 bucks I've spent! If the car has sat out the night before, you simply can't do it. Water (and soap) will freeze on contact even is you use warm water.
  5. Not sure why you would want put a coating on clear film. The newer films are "self healing" and have a bit of "give" or "flexibility". A ceramic coating is just the opposite. It's designed to be a hard protective layer. So no, do not apply a coating to clear film.
  6. Nothing is 100% carnauba. As previously mentioned, it would be hard as a rock and not spreadable. I've used the aforementioned product and compared to the original formula of Americana, I will tell you that P21S is a little slicker than Americana but that would indicate to me that there are more polymers than carnauba. Shine is sbout equal given proper and adequate prep. I have not compared P21S to the current Americana. I will echo what others have already stated. The secret to a fantastic shine is having the "clearest of clear coats". If your clear is not "clear", you will not see the true color and/or reflection of the base color. Many of my customers remark how sparkly their car is when they pick it up. I explain to them how polishing the car and removing all the scratches makes the clear coat actually clearer and you see more of the true color of the paint. For those of you who have polished single stage paint, you know what a mirror effect is like. I always joke that "nothin' shines like good 'ol single stage"
  7. Adams Carpet and Upholstery cleaner will work magic on those! You'll be blown away. BUT, I have some bad news in the pink/red stuff. Doubt there is anything short of genuine magic on those. Red dye is practically impossible. You may have to go after it multiple times, but the before and after should be quite drastic.
  8. Yup, the first thing I do is register as may domain names as I can think of. I'm getting ready to launch a new business entity and I have 5 potential domains registered.
  9. Give it a try and see if you notice a difference. On the flip side, I've never used MR only.
  10. I guess I'm either very lucky or have been going about marketing and promotion all wrong......LOL Seriously, you really do need to vet your customers. If they want their 20 year old, 180K mile Toyota Corolla to look like it rolled off the showroom floor, you're going to lose your shirt on those types of jobs and it would likely need more than just polishing. The cost of the service will likely exceed the value of the car. If you don't think you can make the customer happy, don't take the job. You'll be better off in the long run. You can give different prices for different levels of service. That alone will weed out the serious customers from the tire kickers and enable you to meet expectations and still ensure you make some money in the process. Of course, this means that you have to be able to deliver on your promise. Chris is right that you will probably be more likely to get daily drivers at the beginning, but that's a good thing. It will enable you to gain the needed experience and hone your skills for when the weekend toys start rolling in. I was fortunate enough to pull most of my startup jobs from fellow car club members and word spread from there. I've been a long time member of Porsche Club of America and Audi Club North America.
  11. Actually, you can. I do it all the time. The question is at what point can you afford to turn away work. Pricing in this business should be based on size of car and it's current condition. If someone is offering a flat rate, I'm happy to let people go use one of the flat rate services and they will get what they pay for. I tell new customers that the first time I work on their car, it is most likely going to be more expensive and if they choose to maintain it better and/or return for regularly scheduled intervals, it will be less expensive on return visits because we won't need to do as much work. You also need to figure out what the customer's expectations are as well. Mark is correct that as your results are learned among the community, you will weed out some, but probably not all of the types of cars you're referring to. Good luck!
  12. Goo Gone or any of the over the counter citrus based cleaners should work fine and not damage the leather. You will want to condition afterwards. Be careful with stronger, "adhesive removers" as they may be more likely to pull the color and/or create hazing. - Darryl
  13. practice, practice, practice! Then, when you're comfortable with your technique, practice some more. Seriously, every car will respond differently. No two jobs will be the same. As others have suggested, there are "classes" out there that will discuss the basics, but a lot of it is learning about the physical and chemical properties of the various surfaces that you will be working on. Paint, plastics, carpets, leather, etc. Reading up on and learning about the actual materials will help a lot.
×
×
  • Create New...